South Carolina’s legendary coach Dawn Staley doesn’t think the NBA is ready to see a woman leading a team from the sidelines.
The Hall of Famer interviewed for the New York Knicks’ head coaching job earlier this offseason, but she doesn’t believe the league is truly prepared to hand the reins to a female head coach.
“No, I don’t [believe it will happen in my lifetime],” Staley said Tuesday, via ESPN’s Myron Medcalf.. “And I hope I’m wrong.”
The Knicks had parted ways with Tom Thibodeau and ultimately hired Mike Brown, Staley wasn’t among the final candidates.
While she’s widely regarded as one of the most accomplished coaches in the sport, Staley made it clear that any woman breaking into the NBA will face heavy scrutiny.
“If the Knicks have a five-game losing streak, it’s not going to be about the losing streak,” she said. “It’s going to be about being a female coach. So you, as an organization, a franchise, you have to be prepared for and strong enough to ignore those types of instances when you’re going to look to hire a female coach.”
She added, “If there is somebody that is interested in knowing and interested in being the first female NBA coach, I’ve got all the information,” Staley said. “Come see me, because I’ll get you prepared for the interview. And if there are NBA franchises that are interested in hiring a female, I’m here, too, because you’ve got to be ready to take that on and all the things that it comes with.”
The 54-year-old has been the head coach at South Carolina since 2008, transforming the program into a national powerhouse.
Under her leadership, the Gamecocks have captured nine SEC titles, seven Final Four appearances, and three NCAA championships, including their most recent crown in 2024.
Staley signed a contract extension earlier this year worth roughly $25.5 million through 2030, making her the highest-paid coach in women’s college basketball.
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